The Ring
by KO13
Summary: Elizabeth goes to the jail to leave Jack a note, and finds something that surprises her.


Elizabeth Thatcher picked up the basket with supper in it that she'd purchased from Abigail's Café and hurried outside with a wave to Abigail. "I'll come by tomorrow after school so we can talk!" she called to her closest friend. Jack Thornton, the man she loved, was supposed to get back into town that night after a few days out of town, checking on the outlying areas.

She hated when he was gone, not only because she missed him so much, but because she couldn't stop worrying about him. Knowing he was completely recovered from his ordeal was one thing, but believing it was something else entirely. She'd come too close to losing him, and she couldn't bear to even think about going through that again.

Of course, in the process of almost losing him, she'd found her own strength, a strength she'd worried she didn't have. She'd almost ended her relationship with him over worry about his job as a Mountie, because she'd worried she wouldn't be able to handle it if anything happened to him. She'd learned she could do whatever was necessary, though. She _was_ brave enough.

She got to the jail and found it empty. Knowing she wanted to see him, but she really had too much work to do to sit there idly waiting for him, she decided to write him a note, telling him she was going to go get the papers she needed to grade, but she would come right back to have supper with him.

She sat in his chair behind his desk for a moment, looking for a pencil and paper. There wasn't one visible, so she opened the top drawer on the right, smiling when she saw his art supplies. She hadn't seen any of his work for a while, and she hoped he hadn't given up the hobby entirely. He was too talented to ever stop.

She opened the next drawer, still searching for a paper and pencil, and she found paper. She lifted the stack of blank pieces of paper to see if there was a pencil underneath, and her heart caught in her throat. There, hidden under the papers, was a small box. The kind a ring came in.

Even as Elizabeth told herself to close the drawer and stop looking, she pulled out the box, opening it. She let out a gasp as she looked at the ring. It was obviously an engagement ring, not nearly as flashy as the one Charles had once offered her, but so much more suitable for a woman of Hope Valley.

She looked up as the door opened, and her heart sank. _Caught red handed_. "Jack!"

Jack casually leaned against the door jam, taking in the scene. "Snooping, I see."

"I—how long has this been in here?" She'd started to explain why she had been looking through his desk, but she was more concerned about the questions filling her head.

Jack stared at her for a long moment, contemplating his answer. "Do you remember the day I was going to take you for a walk after school, but Charles got there before me, and asked for your hand?"

"I've told you, Jack—"

"I had that ring in my pocket when I got to the church."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "But that was months ago. Why haven't you asked me since then?"

He shrugged. "I needed a little time to make sure it was right. To make sure you really did want me and not Charles."

Elizabeth set the ring on the desk and walked over to him, putting her hands flat on his chest. "I hope you know now that Charles is nothing more than a friend. And at this point, a friend I haven't seen in a long time."

"I do know that."

"I'm glad." She decided that she needed to drop the subject and let him propose in his own time, but she hated knowing they could have already been married if Charles hadn't shown up when he had. "I'm so glad you're home. I've missed you."

"So what were you doing digging through my desk anyway?" he asked, stroking her cheek. He couldn't stay mad at her.

"I went to Abigail's and bought supper for us. I thought we could eat it here, but when I got here, you were nowhere to be found. So I wanted to go home and get the papers I needed to grade and wait here for you. I thought I'd write you a note so you'd know not to eat without me, but when I went searching for a paper and a pencil, I found that box."

"If I'd gotten to the church before Charles, and gotten my question asked first, what would your answer have been?"

Elizabeth looked up into his eyes, wanting him to know she meant what she said. "I would have said yes. A million times yes." A spark of mischief came into her eyes. "Of course, that was before I knew about your blankie."

Jack's lips quirked, but he wouldn't be distracted from the conversation at hand. "The life of a Mountie isn't a glamorous one, Elizabeth. We could be apart for months at a time. They could even decide to reassign me, although I don't think they will after what happened with the Tolliver Gang."

"I don't need a glamorous life, Jack. I just need a life with you. Here in Hope Valley with all of our friends. The family of our hearts."

"Your father is never going to approve of you marrying me. You know that, don't you?"

She shrugged. "I think you're wrong. I think once he saw how happy you made me, he'd be fine with it. He may prefer that I marry someone of a different…social class, but I don't care. There's no other man on this earth who makes me feel the things you make me feel, who makes my heart race. Oh, Jack, can't you see that no matter what my family thinks, you're the only man I could ever love?"

He cupped her cheek with one hand, leaning down and gently brushing his lips across hers.

When he raised his head, she stood still for a moment, breathing the air warmed by his breath. Her eyes stayed on his lips, as she remembered their warmth. Overwhelmed with thanks that he'd survived getting carried away by the water, she forced herself to move away from him.

"Are you hungry? Abigail made ham steak and sweet potatoes." Elizabeth walked to his desk and carefully uncovered the basket of food. She picked up the ring and tucked it back into his desk drawer before spreading the tablecloth she'd brought out over the surface of the desk.

Jack watched her, knowing it was time, but he had to make the proposal something she'd remember forever. He walked into his room, removing the quilt that covered his bed, spreading it before the fire. "Let's make it a picnic."

Elizabeth smiled at him. "You're too tired to sit on the floor after the riding you did today. We'll have a picnic next week."

Jack started to agree with her and wait, but he couldn't. He'd waited long enough. "You didn't pack any pepper?" he asked, wanting to get rid of her for just a minute.

She shook her head, surprised. "Your mom said you liked pepper, but she also thought you liked lard, so I wasn't sure she knew what she was talking about."

Jack grinned. "Well, you know as well as I do you can't believe everything my mother says, but I do like pepper." He frowned. "How 'bout this. You go home and get the pepper, and I'll get out of this uniform into something more comfortable for a picnic, and I'll put a little more wood on the fire."

Elizabeth nodded skeptically. "All right." He was acting strange, but she had to face facts. Jack always acted strangely. She hurried out the door, worried their dinner was going to be ice cold before they got to it.

While she was gone, Jack went opened the drawer and gripped the engagement ring tightly in his hand before going into his room and changing into a pair of jeans and a warm flannel shirt. He had to _be_ warm to keep Elizabeth warm after all.

By the time Elizabeth got back to the jail, he was kneeling in front of the fire, the ring in his pocket, ready to slip on her finger. At least he knew how she'd answer. Or he thought he did anyway.

Elizabeth came back into the jail, shivering a little. "I should have made you go to get the pepper, Jack. It's cold out there!"

"Come on down here, and I'll keep you warm."

Elizabeth grinned, liking the idea more than she was willing to admit to him. She knelt down on the blanket beside him and started divvying up the food in the basket, handing him his plate. "Why don't we have more picnics on the floor of the jail, Jack?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I do always feel the need to follow up supper in jail with something else though…"

"A snack in the stable?" she asked, snickering at the words he'd once used.

"I was thinking a marriage proposal." He took her hand in his. "Elizabeth Thatcher? Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

She blinked a few times. "I don't know…let me see that ring again…"

He pulled the ring from his pocket and slipped it on her finger. "I'm sure you want to see how it looks on your hand. Just seeing it in the box would never tell you what you need to know."

"Oh, of course." She stared down at the beautiful diamond on her finger, her eyes going misty. "Oh, Jack…It's so beautiful."

"Is that a yes?"

"You knew it was a yes before you even asked. I love you, Jack Thornton."

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "And I love you, Elizabeth Thatcher. As soon as I finish building our house on my land, we'll get married."

She wrinkled her nose. "Do we have to wait that long? I have a perfectly good house we could live in while you were building it."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you that anxious to stay warm at night?"

She blushed. "I'm that anxious to know that nothing else is going to come between us, and we'll really be married."

"What about your parents?"

She frowned. "Why don't we have a ceremony here in Hope Valley in the church you built? And then we can have a reception back in Hamilton to appease my parents."

He sighed. "I hate that we have to appease your parents."

"Honestly, Jack, if I was that worried about them, I never would have said yes. You know that I'd give up my inheritance for you, if it came to that."

He grinned. "I didn't know that, but I'm glad I do now." He pressed his lips to hers once more. "Why don't we talk to Frank tomorrow? Maybe we can get married next weekend. You're right. We don't need a fancy new house on a hill. We just need each other."

She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "And dinner. I think we may need some dinner."

He laughed. "Okay, let's eat. And then we'll start making plans. I want forever with you."


End file.
